KISS

Yeah, these guys. No, not the guys, at least technically not the ones you might've bought action figures of in the '70s, or, if you're a speculative collector, the '00s -- Ace Frehley and Peter Criss are still off doing their own thing, their roles filled by Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer. (I'm pretty sure that having members of the band replaced with duplicates caused all kinds of problems in KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park, but maybe the rules have changed a bit.) And go ahead and gripe about the "Wal-Mart Exclusive" nature of their new CD, Sonic Boom, though diehards have at least afforded it "solid entry"/"better than Psycho Circus" status. But the "Kiss Alive/35" tour does prove the unique power of KISS in that, well, they can get people to still give a damn, something that rock bands in general – especially ones in their third-and-a-half decade – don't often have the luxury of pulling off. And while Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons are still the only remaining connections to the original purveyors of meathead-rock classics like "Love Gun", "Detroit Rock City", and Replacements favorite "Black Diamond", let's face it: you haven't really heard them until you've heard them ricocheting through a basketball arena. (Photo by wok)
Sat., Nov. 7, 7:30 p.m., 2009